Surgical instruments that are inserted into a handpiece are known in the most different variants. The handpieces are normally connected to a drive, whereby tools or portions of the surgical instruments are drivable, e.g. rotatable. Such surgical instruments may for instance be dental drills or cutters; they may also be designed as shaver instruments for arthroscopy.
It is known from the prior art (see e.g. EP 1 006 898 B1) that the handpiece is provided with a central bore or recess into which a coupling portion or attachment portion of the surgical instrument is inserted. In this process corresponding drive couplings of the handpiece get into engagement with coupling members of the surgical instrument, so that a rotary drive is realized. The surgical instrument is inserted into and locked in the handpiece in that the handpiece is provided with a locking recess with which a snap type element of the surgical instrument can be brought into detachable engagement. The locking recess may for instance be configured in the form of an annular groove; it is also possible to provide said groove only as a singular piece. The snap type element of the surgical instrument may e.g. be configured in the form of a snap type hook, a latch, or the like. Hence, upon insertion of the surgical instrument into the handpiece, a locking or coupling operation can be carried out that prevents an unintended detachment of the surgical instrument from the handpiece. To remove the surgical instrument from the handpiece, an actuating device must e.g. be operated.
The devices that are known from the prior art are often of a complicated construction and thus cost-intensive and intricate in their manufacture, and they are often difficult to handle when used in surgery.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved surgical coupling device.